FlowMaster - Industrial Vacuum Excavation and Hydraulic Valve Exercising System

Cities and municipalities worldwide realize the importance of quick accessibility to water valves and hydrants in the event of water contamination or water line breaks. Accessibility is necessary to quickly shut off water valves and stop the flow of water to main supply lines.

Many water valve boxes are filled with compacted dirt and spoil, which can take up to several hours to clean by hand. In emergency situations, time is of the essence, thus many cities have been prompted to clean their valve boxes using vacuum and exercise their water valves at least once a year to make them readily accessible. Similarly, the need has arisen to flush water hydrants to determine if they are working properly, as well as flush out the system on an annual basis.

The FlowMaster Series option can be used to hydraulically exercise water valves and hydrants, making sure they will work properly in times of need. Trailer mounted, the FlowMaster unit can be easily transported to locations in close proximity to water valves and hydrants.

The FlowMaster option is available on the following Vac-Tron series:

Frequently asked questions on the FlowMaster:

Question: What are the advantages of using the FlowMaster to service water valves?

Answer: First, you can use the vacuum system to remove debris from the water valve box to quickly access the water valve. Secondly, exercising a water valve often requires opening and closing a valve five times or more. On a 6” valve this would equate to a total of 190 revolutions; which by hand would take forever, by using the exerciser the job can be done in as little as five minutes. This means more productivity and less stress on the employee.

Question: Can a water valve be broken while being exercised?

Answer: Yes, a water valve can be broken while being exercised by hand or using hydraulics; however when hydraulics are used properly by limiting the torque pressure you put on the valve and not overstressing the valve, hydraulics are safer. Limiting the torque pressure is done by watching the PSI gauge and not exceeding 1,000-1,200 PSI. When the gauge registers 1,000 PSI or higher simply stop and turn the valve the other way. This prevents overstressing the valve and helps to break up rust and lime deposits that accumulate on the inner workings of the valve.

Question: Are there regulations mandating that water valves and hydrants be exercised regularly?

Answer: At the present only a handful of states mandate that water valves be exercised regularly, however it is strongly recommended by Homeland Security that all cities begin a valve maintenance program so that in the event of an attack on our water system the contamination could be contained by shutting down the system. Without regular checks of the valve box and valve to ensure access and proper workings of the valve it would be difficult at best to ensure quick response. Many cities have already started their own valve exercising program.

It is mandated that all fire hydrants be check once a year to ensure the equipment will work properly when needed and to flush the systems of excess chlorine and sediment.

Question: Who is a customer for the FlowMaster?

Answer: Cities, Counties, Water Districts, State Water Entities and any Sub Contractor that works within these Departments.

Question: Is the FlowMaster a one purpose machine (valve exerciser)?

Answer: The FlowMaster can also be used to locate underground utilities, clean storm drains, cleanup spills and drilling mud, as well as other jobs performed by wet/dry vacuum systems. This makes it one of the most versatile machines on the market today.